118 posts in this topic

The black 9' rigged sluggo is hands down the best artifical on the market and will outfish any and all other artificials/plugs. Im speaking specifically rigged with 2 hooks and insert weights. Sluggo's are also killer lures rigged on a single hook/jighead/weightless but not as deadly as the rigged application. It really makes complete sense given the sluggos similarity to an eel and how bass love eels. I always say an eel is the only thing close that a Surfcaster has to a " fishfinder" like our boat friends.

It's definitely a good one, that Double Rigged black Sluggo. But I have had many nights out front where a Black Bomber kicked it's butt easily.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I don’t buy it. I can get the same action with a single head hook and it has benefits. Cheaper, easier, stronger.

But the fact of the matter is the Sluggo, regardless how it is rigged, is an exceptional lure for Striped Bass.

Actually, both opinions expressed are IMO inaccurate. What makes the Double Rig EASILY out swim the Single Rig is that is't more flexible. If you're using a large Off-Set worm hook, that will impede the swimming action on the sluggo as only the rear half of the bait kicks.

The Double Rig slithers away & is noticeable livelier than the single rig. Twist style head Jigs are another way to get lively action & drop a touch deeper if needed.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Actually, both opinions expressed are IMO inaccurate. What makes the Double Rig EASILY out swim the Single Rig is that is't more flexible. If you're using a large Off-Set worm hook, that will impede the swimming action on the sluggo as only the rear half of the bait kicks.

The Double Rig slithers away & is noticeable livelier than the single rig. Twist style head Jigs are another way to get lively action & drop a touch deeper if needed.

Double is MORE flexible than the single hook, even with weights along its long axis?

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I’m no expert but I’m almost certain the single VMC rigged sluggo doesn’t work as good as the rigged. Atleast for me it hasn’t and I tested it over an entire season which is really the best way. You did say some of your largest bass came via the rigged style. I remember when I was experimenting first time with it rigged single siwash and nail inserts. It caught very well for me and it did so consistently. Still after several months of back and forth it still didn’t produce in the quantity and quality of the rigged style. I stand by the rigged sluggo looking the most natural when retrieved just sub serface.

Well, I believe you are wrong, you can't say what's succesful for me. I'm talking multiple seasons, years and countless hours. Use what you have confidence in, I won't tell you are wrong but you sound awful bias. If you want to have excellent results and learn a lot its best to keep your mind open and try to keep learning.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

How often do you guys actually take a fish on the back hook? In my experience I only took schoolies and rats on it.

My preferred method of rigging, for how I fish, is a big single mustad hook with thread and zap a gap in the head. Nail weights as necessary. I’ve never missed the back hook and I prefer a big single hook with a big barb to the Gami Octopus and tiny barbs.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Double is MORE flexible than the single hook, even with weights along its long axis?

Yes, an offset worm hook takes up half of the length of the Sluggo which is either 9 inches long. The entire front of the bait doesn't move it all during the retrieve. It zig zags and still works fine i& the tail wiggles..etc.

A double rigged Sluggo is flexible. You can put a nail weight or two and it if you want to but it's not going to change the fact that it bends in the middle.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

IMO the erratic , faster motion of the Sluggo when fished in this manner triggers the bass to hit the lure. I have tried several different retrieves wirh the rugged Slug-go and they all seem to work but the medium erratic retrieved works best for me. Remember to add additional (4th) weight to belly area. It makes a difference. Good luck

Watched the video on YT but I think you only used 3 total. Are you saying 2 on each side of the first hook, one in the belly, and one in tail for a total of 5 nail weights? Just want to make sure I've got it....

This is a great thread....thanks to the OP and experts that contributed. I bought a pack of prerigged Sluggos about 3 years ago and fished them a couple times without any success. I read this thread last week and it inspired me to throw one in my bag for a "just in case." Fast forward to this AM.....I've been on fish at a spot, schoolies and small keepers, for about 4 mornings in a row. All action has been pre false dawn from about 3:30-6am and all fish have come on a blurple bomber or a mid size mag darter. So I start with a bomber which is (was?) my fish finder plug, fish it for about 30 minutes and nothing, not a bump. Move to mag darter, nothing. Tide is weak and wind shifted this morning so there wasn't much water moving so I'm wondering if the fish pushed off? So I grab a Redfin, nothing. I quickly cycle through my bag - small metal lip, swim shad, bucktail, nothing. It's now around 5am and I remembered this thread so I grab the 9" pre-rigged sluggo and clip it on. First 3 or 4 casts I work it slow with an occasional twitch, nothing. Much like the OP, the idea of working a sluggo at night like a pencil seems counterintuitive to everything I've learned over the past several years but, hey, nothing to lose at this point. Next cast, light pencil popping action, BAMN! Nice schoolie. Next cast, another. The bite died around 6:15 and I ended with 5 or 6 20-25" schoolies and one 30" fish. I stayed until 8 but couldn't raise another fish....the only thing they wanted was the popping sluggo!

After the session i went and grabbed a couple new packs. Time to load them (all fish this AM were right out of the pack) and try them at my other spots. Thanks again to all.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Yes, an offset worm hook takes up half of the length of the Sluggo which is either 9 inches long. The entire front of the bait doesn't move it all during the retrieve. It zig zags and still works fine i& the tail wiggles..etc.

A double rigged Sluggo is flexible. You can put a nail weight or two and it if you want to but it's not going to change the fact that it bends in the middle.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Yes, an offset worm hook takes up half of the length of the Sluggo which is either 9 inches long. The entire front of the bait doesn't move it all during the retrieve. It zig zags and still works fine i& the tail wiggles..etc.

A double rigged Sluggo is flexible. You can put a nail weight or two and it if you want to but it's not going to change the fact that it bends in the middle.

I don't know where you get your hooks, CG, but I am certain that I do not own a hook that is anywhere near 4.5" long. I'll be shocked if I can dig one up that's even three inches long.

If I were to use worm hooks for sluggos, the longest ones that I own *might* be 2" long. I often use VMC 9260BN 7/0 Eel/Live Bait Hooks, both for sluggos and riggies. (I like these hooks because they are HD and they weigh more than siwashes or most other hooks, which lessens the need for additional nail weights.)

From the bottom of the eye to the start of the bend is 3/4" (yes, mate, I just measured it), so I'll be generous and call it 1" at the front of the sluggo that has been "immobilized" due to the hook when I use a single hook on sluggos. I have never noticed that the action of my sluggo (or Hogy, or whatever other similarly-shaped rubber) suffered from that short length of rigidity at the front.

Until I learned of our friend Steve's approach, I fished single-hook sluggos most of the time, adding some nail weights (often in the form of 6d or 8d SS finish nails, never used glue, never had one fall out) that I inserted at a right angle to the long axis of the sluggo, because that eliminated the 1" or so of "immobilized" sections of sluggo due to the nail weights.

I've also had success using wobble heads (aka "Squid tins") for both sluggos and riggies with a single hook setup, although in smaller sizes of both rubber and eels.

I've yet to toss rigged sluggos for any significant amount of time, so I lack the time OTW to weigh in re effectiveness. (And it looks like I've all but run out of time with this cold mid-October weather coming up! GRRRRRR.)

Despite the absence of prey to interest piscators, I plan to rig up more 2-hook sluggos and wobble head sluggos (and riggies) with a second hook so I can test-swim them for fine-tuning from a local bridge that sits ~20' above a local tidal river

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Watched the video on YT but I think you only used 3 total. Are you saying 2 on each side of the first hook, one in the belly, and one in tail for a total of 5 nail weights? Just want to make sure I've got it....

This is a great thread....thanks to the OP and experts that contributed. I bought a pack of prerigged Sluggos about 3 years ago and fished them a couple times without any success. I read this thread last week and it inspired me to throw one in my bag for a "just in case." Fast forward to this AM.....I've been on fish at a spot, schoolies and small keepers, for about 4 mornings in a row. All action has been pre false dawn from about 3:30-6am and all fish have come on a blurple bomber or a mid size mag darter. So I start with a bomber which is (was?) my fish finder plug, fish it for about 30 minutes and nothing, not a bump. Move to mag darter, nothing. Tide is weak and wind shifted this morning so there wasn't much water moving so I'm wondering if the fish pushed off? So I grab a Redfin, nothing. I quickly cycle through my bag - small metal lip, swim shad, bucktail, nothing. It's now around 5am and I remembered this thread so I grab the 9" pre-rigged sluggo and clip it on. First 3 or 4 casts I work it slow with an occasional twitch, nothing. Much like the OP, the idea of working a sluggo at night like a pencil seems counterintuitive to everything I've learned over the past several years but, hey, nothing to lose at this point. Next cast, light pencil popping action, BAMN! Nice schoolie. Next cast, another. The bite died around 6:15 and I ended with 5 or 6 20-25" schoolies and one 30" fish. I stayed until 8 but couldn't raise another fish....the only thing they wanted was the popping sluggo!

After the session i went and grabbed a couple new packs. Time to load them (all fish this AM were right out of the pack) and try them at my other spots. Thanks again to all.

I use four(4) Lunker city insert weights ( large. 3/32 oz.) in the 9” Sluggo I make up. Three (3) weights are inserted in the body near the mid body/head hook

area. The fourth weight is inserted in tail. Originally, I used two weights in the mid body/head area and one in tail but found through experimentation that the four weights worked out better for casting distance and stability in rough water. The extra weight also does not effect the great action of the Slug-go. Hope this helps. Good luck

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Watched the video on YT but I think you only used 3 total. Are you saying 2 on each side of the first hook, one in the belly, and one in tail for a total of 5 nail weights? Just want to make sure I've got it....

This is a great thread....thanks to the OP and experts that contributed. I bought a pack of prerigged Sluggos about 3 years ago and fished them a couple times without any success. I read this thread last week and it inspired me to throw one in my bag for a "just in case." Fast forward to this AM.....I've been on fish at a spot, schoolies and small keepers, for about 4 mornings in a row. All action has been pre false dawn from about 3:30-6am and all fish have come on a blurple bomber or a mid size mag darter. So I start with a bomber which is (was?) my fish finder plug, fish it for about 30 minutes and nothing, not a bump. Move to mag darter, nothing. Tide is weak and wind shifted this morning so there wasn't much water moving so I'm wondering if the fish pushed off? So I grab a Redfin, nothing. I quickly cycle through my bag - small metal lip, swim shad, bucktail, nothing. It's now around 5am and I remembered this thread so I grab the 9" pre-rigged sluggo and clip it on. First 3 or 4 casts I work it slow with an occasional twitch, nothing. Much like the OP, the idea of working a sluggo at night like a pencil seems counterintuitive to everything I've learned over the past several years but, hey, nothing to lose at this point. Next cast, light pencil popping action, BAMN! Nice schoolie. Next cast, another. The bite died around 6:15 and I ended with 5 or 6 20-25" schoolies and one 30" fish. I stayed until 8 but couldn't raise another fish....the only thing they wanted was the popping sluggo!

After the session i went and grabbed a couple new packs. Time to load them (all fish this AM were right out of the pack) and try them at my other spots. Thanks again to all.

Hey Fluke,

The rod action is like a pencil or maybe a spook, but the weights keep it subsurface. So what you get is a darting and erratic motion, similar to sand eels or minnows that are under some pressure (i.e. panic). It works, and it works well. Fishing the sluggo slow rigged this way, not so much. If you need to fish it slow, then the pre-rigged unweighted or perhaps a single belly weight works. I've been in both situations.

I absolutely hate the idea of spending $20+ on two pre-rigged soft plastics. So I seldom use them that way, but I always have one on me, because sometimes that is what is needed, slow, almost dead stick with a twitch. 99% of the time I like Steve's method.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I use four(4) Lunker city insert weights ( large. 3/32 oz.) in the 9” Sluggo I make up. Three (3) weights are inserted in the body near the mid body/head hook

area. The fourth weight is inserted in tail. Originally, I used two weights in the mid body/head area and one in tail but found through experimentation that the four weights worked out better for casting distance and stability in rough water. The extra weight also does not effect the great action of the Slug-go. Hope this helps. Good luck